


What Became of the Hero of Time

by Toffeecoco1



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Angst, Arranged Marriage, Character Death, F/M, Implied/Referenced Sex, LoZ - Freeform, Lots of Angst, MM, OC, Zelda - Freeform, also this is rly fucking old and kinda sucks so, link - Freeform, malon - Freeform, malonlink, oot, stay away if you don't want angst, stay away in general lmfao, underage? idrk because their ages aren't confirmed, zelink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 14:40:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13436949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toffeecoco1/pseuds/Toffeecoco1
Summary: Mmmmm I wrote this a while ago and put it on wattpad but I decided to move it here. It's probably one of the more dark things I've ever written but I think it makes sense.Sort of more of a theory-type thing: what happened between Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess?It helps to have played both of those AND Ocarina of time, but when I started writing it I had only played OoT, and by the time I finished I had only played that and MM.It's tagged as both Zelink and Malonlink, but it's not REALLY either.It's also not too great cuz it's kinda old





	What Became of the Hero of Time

And so the little boy in green rode out of Termina, back to his own world, continuing his search for his fairy companion. He journeyed far beyond Hyrule, to many strange lands. Each night he sat by a campfire and reflected on the death of the Great Deku Tree- the only father he had ever known. He would think about his childhood love for Saria, and his finding out much later that she liked him back, only to learn that they could never be together even if she weren't a sage. He aged and she did not. He would still feel frustrated about suddenly being forced into the body of a 16 year old, and just as he was getting used to it, being shoved back into the body of a 9 year old again. He would remember the desolation that Hyrule had faced in his absence, and the fact that it was his pulling the Master Sword that had caused it. He would still feel the pain he felt when the Deku Sprout revealed his true identity as a Hylian, and how his mother had died. He only took solace in remembering the instant, seemingly impenetrable bond that had formed the moment he met Zelda. As Link traveled between the temples, he had begun to realize Sheik's identity.

Sheik had spoken of young love becoming deep affection and the strength of friendship growing over time, causing Link's mind to drift to Zelda. When he looked at Sheik again, he saw him for who she truly was and fell in love. Link knew that when Zelda sent him back, she had done it out of love, out of wanting the best for him, but he couldn't help but feel frustrated. Everything he had accomplished... all his hard work... vanished. Completely undone.

Worst of all, he was alone. Across his journies he had met many people; some kind, some not so much. But none of these people were with him now. Even a fairy would have been company enough, but Tatl had elected to stay behind with her brother and Skull Kid.

As the years passed, Link began to lose hope of ever finding Navi, his truest friend, who had stuck with him through thick and thin. On the day his body finally turned 16 again, he gave up hope completely, and returned to Hyrule.

"Link!" Zelda exclaimed as he walked into the castle. "Oh my goddesses, you've been gone for so long," she said as she enveloped him in a hug.

Link smiled at her touch. "Oh Zelda, I've missed you. Hyrule looks just as I remember it."

Zelda giggled, "So much has happened since you left. The Hyrulean armies immediately seized Ganondorf and exposed him for his true desires, and then he was banished. The Gerudo were quite angry, but we've been mending our relations over the past 7 years."

Link looked her in the eyes. "Zelda, there's something that I've been wanting to tell you since I returned to this time 7 years ago. I-"

Suddenly the door to the hall slammed open. A boy about their age with brown hair and royal looking clothing walked in.

"Oh! I almost forgot to introduce you two," Zelda said, "Link, this is Cado, my fiancé. Cado, this is Link, the boy who-"

"I know who he is," Cado frowned.

"I- it's nice to meet you," Link stammered, suddenly losing all the confidence he'd just had.

Cado ignored him. "Zelda, it's time for our lunch. Why don't you tell Link to go hang out with his forest friends or something."

"Please, Cado, calm down." She rolled her eyes as she turned to Link, "Why don't you join us? It could be a great opportunity to catch up on the last 7 years."

"No, I- it's ok. I'll just go."

"Alright, if that's what you want..."

Link walked out of the castle. As soon as he was out of the happy couple's sight, he started sprinting. Once he was out of castle town and across the river, he curled into a ball and started to cry. All this time, all he had done for this kingdom, only to have the girl he loved find someone else.

As his tears dried, his mind drifted elsewhere...to a stunning girl who had certainly had feelings for him as a child, feelings strong enough to give him her favorite horse. Impulsively, he stood up, climbed onto his beloved Epona, and rode just south to Lon Lon Ranch. He went to where he knew he would find Malon: the stables.

"Fairy boy!" The girl squealed as Link walked in. "But... where's your fairy?"

"That's where I've been all these years... searching for her," Link said, his confident demeanor already fading. He quickly regained his composure. "But I've missed you! How's the ranch?"

"It's fine. Father has been sleeping even more lately, so I do most of the work. Is Epona doing well?"

"She's been great! She's actually right outside."

The two walked out of the ranch, to where Epona was patiently waiting. When she saw Malon, the horse started getting excited.

"Oh, Epona, I've missed you," Malon said, stroking the horse. "Link, would you mind if I took her for a ride?"

"Not at all, go ahead."

As the afternoon continued, Link and Malon grew closer. He could sense the same emotions from her that he had sensed 7 years ago, yet all he could think about was Zelda and that insufferable snot she was somehow engaged to. He and Malon had dinner together, and then returned to the stables, where the pair sat down to talk in the low light of the candles.

"Link, I- from the moment I met you, I've always-"

She couldn't finish her thought, as Link leaned in to kiss her. It was an impulse, if only to avoid hearing what she was about to say- the same words that he had almost said to Zelda. This was his first kiss, something else he'd always thought was reserved for Zelda, but that was impossible anyway at this point.

He pulled back. Malon grinned uncontrollably, then went back in for another kiss. Some part of this felt very enjoyable to Link, despite his lack of affection. She was very pretty, after all...

Suddenly he found his hands drifting towards the buttons on her dress, and hers starting to tug on his tunic. But Malon pulled away and whispered, "Not here, not in the stables." She grabbed his hand and led him into the farmhouse, and then into her bedroom. He kissed her again as he unbuttoned her dress and pulled off his own tunic. That strange rush of satisfaction flowed through him again. But as he picked her up and laid her on the bed, something in his chest felt very wrong, and his mind drifted back to the love of his life.

The Hero of Time awoke the next morning to the crow of the cuccos. His heart felt heavy as he looked at the beautiful redhead soundly asleep next to him. He kissed her head before getting up and putting on his clothes. Suddenly his life flashed before him and he realized what he had just done. He had bedded a girl whom he did not love. He had pretended he wanted her in an act of self-pity, and given her everything she ever wanted. But he would have to keep this up, wouldn't he? He couldn't bear the idea of hurting her... of telling her that it was a mistake... even if he didn't love her. Suddenly he realized what he was going to do. He found a piece of paper and a pen, and began to write a note. As he wrote, he remembered every failure he'd ever had and everything that had ever gone wrong. All of his regrets.  
Link folded up the note, and set it on the pillow next to the sleeping Malon. He then walked outside and looked at the horse pasture and the morning sun one last time. He pulled out his gilded sword. It had once been the Kokiri sword, before he went to Termina. It was the sword that started this long and twisted journey.

 _This is how it all started, this is how it should end_ , he thought, before driving it through his chest.

At first he felt pain, and then nothing. Then suddenly he felt free. At last he was free from the pains and regrets of this world. But then he realized that he was more trapped than ever before. All he could do was watch, seeing everything that happened in Hyrule. He watched as Malon woke up, and then, confused at his absence, read the note.

_Dear Malon,_

_I did a horrible thing last night. I never loved you, and I never have. I gave you hope when I knew I could only let you down.     I feel a need to tell you why I'm going to do what I'm about to do, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I'll spare you my life story, but my entire childhood was racked with guilt, and suddenly I was forced to adjust to a body that was too big for me. When I finally triumphed, and got used to that body, I was sent back to the time I had come from by the girl I loved most, and everything I had ever done was erased from time. Right after I was forced back into my child body again, my only true friend, the fairy, left me. I dedicated the years that I had regained to finding her, but I was completely unsuccessful. When I returned, that girl I loved had found someone else. Out of self pity, I ran here. I feel terrible for leading you on, and the guilt of all my mistakes has grown too heavy. You'll find me outside._

_Your beloved,_  
_Link_

Link watched Malon convince herself that what she thought happened couldn't have happened, then watched her walk outside and scream loudly when she saw him lying there in a pool of blood. She pleaded with his body to have some life left over. She even uncapped the bottle on the fairy that her long-gone mother had given her as a child in attempt to revive him. But she was too late. Link watched her sob for a boy who would never have loved her.

As the months flew by, he watched Malon's belly grow. He could even see Princess Zelda, and saw her cry when she learned of his death. He saw that there was no joy in her eyes at her wedding, and soon learned that Cado was the son of a Hyrulean nobleman, and Zelda had been pressured to marry him by her father. He learned from her dreams that she had always been excited for Link's return, that she loved him as he loved her. He saw his own body get lowered into Kakariko Graveyard, by Zelda's request and to her husband's dismay.

He saw his son be born on the Ranch, and he saw Malon cry tears of sadness when she should have cried tears of joy. It was when he realized that her son would always be a living reminder of a man who lied about loving her that he realized he had made the worst possible decision. All of the regrets he'd had during his lifetime were not gone; they were stronger than ever, as now he could never rectify them. His regrets worsened as he watched his son, a spitting image of himself, grow up, and realized that he would never get to play with this boy, never get to teach him the ways of the sword, and never pass on the story of how he had saved Hyrule in another time. In addition, he realized that he could never tell Zelda that he loved her too, and that she never would have had to suffer such an unhappy marriage had he just told her the truth.

The Hero of Time watched Hyrule change for hundreds of years. His regrets were not eased even when his friends died. They had made peace with their lives and could move on, while he remained watching the world of the living, becoming a shade, boiling in the regrets and mistakes of his his.

That was until countless years later, when he watched a young descendant of his son's begin to follow the same path that he had followed in the Kokiri Forest, oh so long ago.


End file.
